Sleepless Nights
by SeptemberMyWinter
Summary: One sleepless night leads Kai into a dark and deadly habit that won't let him go. One that he refuses to let go.
1. Sleepless Night

A/N: Rating will probably go up for later chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all!!!

It was not to my surprise when I found myself wandering the streets. It was gone midnight and everything that was not bathed in artificial light was black. I didn't know where I was heading; there probably wasn't any destination at all. That was how it had been for the past thirteen nights. I would endure a restless sleep for an hour or two, then give up and wander around the garden of the dojo I stayed in with Tyson and the rest of the Bladebreakers – only to find myself leave and wander the empty streets of Japan until dawn when I would make my way back.

There was something comforting in the routine I had every night. It was something I could look forward to when there was nothing else after a stressful day. However, it was not as though the team hadn't noticed at all. Tyson was quick to comment on the dark circles starting to form under my eyes – I refused to talk to him for a couple of days after that. Best they know to not mention what doesn't concern them.

I turned a corner into an alley. It was narrow and the further I went it seemed to close in on me. I let out a sigh and leaned back cautiously against the wall. I glanced to both my right and left and when I saw that there was no one approaching I closed my eyes.

After, what could have been, fifteen minutes, I heard someone begin to approach me. I quickly looked up. I could not see their face because their back was against the street light outside the alley, but what I could see was that, the figure was roughly my height and definitely female from the shape of the figure.

She stumbled, rather than walked, towards me and was no more than a few centimetres away from me when she spoke:

'Hi.' She spoke in a drunken slur and I could smell vodka on her breath. I didn't reply. I just watched her as she tried to regain her balance – without success. As she fell over she knocked over a few cardboard boxes that were stacked against the opposite wall and caused a stray cat to hiss and run away to the safety of another alley. She managed to stand up after a minute, but lost balance again, fell forward and held onto my shoulder for support.

I quickly stepped to the side and let her fall with a thud against the wall. She looked up at me – she was now facing the dim glow of the street light so I could just make out what she looked like. She had mousey brown hair, outlining her pale but pretty face. Her mad, wide eyes were slightly sunken but they glittered like sapphires in the dim light.

She laughed.

I was just about to turn and leave before she grabbed my arm and turned me round with a great force. Through small giggles she said: 'Here...twelve thirty...tomorrow night...he wants to see you.' With those words she fell to her knees and was sick. She gasped for air for a moment before collapsing onto the ground laughing. I had seen enough and turned to leave. As I was walking slowly back to the dojo I could still her laughing and those words. I was curious as to know who wanted to see me.

As I pulled the blanket back over my body I was contemplating whether I should go but before I could reach any decision – I was asleep.


	2. Lydia

A/N: Wow, I got reviews! You guys rock! :D

When I woke again it was evening. The sun was setting, giving the sky the colour of fire. I looked around me – I was alone in the room. I could hear a sudden outburst of laugher outside so I stood up and crept quietly towards the door. I could see the team eating dinner outside. Kenny was typing on Dizzy between mouthfuls of food – Rei and Hillary were sitting beside him. Max was sitting on the grass next, (or near), to Tyson, who was in the centre of a circle of bowls and bowls of food.

Sighing I went to join them.

I sat down in a corner not far from them. Hillary stood up and gave me a bowl of rice.

'Thanks,' I said. Hillary smiled and left to sit next to Rei again. I watched her leave while absentmindedly playing with my food. As she sat I noticed Rei glance at me. It seemed to me that he was concerned, but he was concerned over anything really. I lowered my eyes to me food again and began to eat slowly, listening to their conversations when they ventured to Beyblading or if my name popped up.

It wasn't long before they finished dinner; I had barely begun it yet even Tyson finished before me. They quickly mentioned something about practise. I contemplated practising with them but I somehow didn't feel like it this time.

I was awoken from my thoughts by a large shadow standing over me.

'Hey Kai, you wanna train with us?' It was Tyson.

'No,' I replied. I knew Tyson thought my reply was rude but I could have said worse to him at that moment. Or said nothing at all. The others emerged from the shadows and proceeded to leave, Tyson left with them saying nothing more to me. I was grateful for their quiet departure.

I stood and placed my bowl in the kitchen. I don't think I had even eaten half of it but it was enough.

The prospect of having nothing to do for the next few hours didn't seem entertaining so I left – going in the opposite direction to the Bladebreakers.

.....................

I hadn't walked far before I entered a park. It was abandoned now. The wind grazed the too-long grass and the swings creaked back and forth even though there were no children to make it do so. I made my way to a swing – one that hadn't yet been vandalised – I sat down and gripped the chain.

It was quiet; all I could hear was the whispering trees and the occasional chirp of a bird. It was calming, I thought. It was also growing darker. The once fiery aspect of the sky had evolved into the deep shade of sapphire edged with black. The pleasantly warm winds whipped around my face, making it turn a slight shade of pink – though it was barley noticeable.

I was there for a long while and I was eventually growing numb before I decided to walk again. As I glanced to my right I could see a clock in the shop window. It was ten fifteen. It was time to head back. However, I knew they wouldn't worry much and I was still curious to who wanted to see me. Perhaps it was important. Or, perhaps, it was just the words of a drunken woman who couldn't tell right from left.

.....................

I was walking for a while until I noticed it had grown further darker. All street lamps were on casting a feeble glow on the forever black earth. As I looked I seemed to be in the area I was last night. I could recognise the bars. I made my way up the street and I passed, what seemed to be, a Goth bar. They were playing a rather eerie, yet popular lyric, by Siouxsie and the Banshees.

I kept on walking. I kept walking past the bars and clubs, past the very attractive women who glanced at me with lust – attempting to look seductive. I eventually, but subconsciously, ended back at the alley which I had met the drunken woman the night before. It was empty.

It had to have been half past midnight now. If I looked up I would be able to see the heavy blanket that was the night sky – scattered with brilliant, diamond like stars. My footsteps echoed in the alley but I tried to keep as quiet as I could.

'You should be quieter you know,' a voice spoke. I turned immediately to find myself face to face with the woman I had met the previous night. Though this time, she was void of any drink, so her posture and personality had changed completely from then. I had to be cautious, very cautious. She seemed to have picked up on that though.

'You don't have to be afraid of me you know.' To my surprise she spoke to me, not like a child, but an equal. Due to my own stupidity I allowed myself to relax a little. I even allowed myself to speak.

'I'm not afraid.' My voice was strong. The woman nodded and took two steps toward me, keeping her distance to let me know she wasn't playing any tricks.

'I hope you can forgive me for my actions last night,' she chuckled. 'I was completely out of it and I can't remember much.' She smiled. 'If I haven't told you already, my name's Lydia. I work for someone called Stephen in one of the bars a few streets away.' She gave me another warm smile.

I wondered briefly who Stephan was, I also wondered what they did. If it was in a bar, it was more than likely something along the lines of drug or alcohol use. If that was the reason she wanted me to see someone then she'll have no hope of persuading me to accept. Lydia, however, seemed to be thinking along the same lines as I was.

'Don't worry Kai; we don't deal with those things. Though that's normally what the bar is used for. A lot of drug dealers work there – but that's not why the boss wants to see you.' I could tell she wasn't lying. I had a good habit of knowing who was and wasn't being truthful to me.

'What does he want to see me for then?' I asked. My eyes were narrowed. I had no idea what 'The Boss' would wish to see me for, and to be honest I didn't really care.

'I'm sorry, he told me to say he wishes to tell you in person. Though, he said to tell you that it isn't a dirty dealing job of some kind – he just wants to see you,' she paused. 'To be honest I'm not sure he wants,' she concluded.

At that point I thought of going. It didn't seem at all bad if some person wanted to see me really, if it was nothing to do with a job. Maybe, this was just related to Beyblading, after all that is what I'm famous for.

'Ok,' I said, my mind made up. 'I'll go, but if I don't like it I'll leave.' I finished. Lydia knew I was serious and she seemed to respect my decision, which I was grateful for.

'Thanks, the Boss would have had my head if you didn't go. Thank you.' She smiled again.

'Whatever,' I replied as I made my way out of the alley, and together we made our way back up the streets towards the bars. The distant sound of various music growing louder.


	3. Stephan

A/N: Okay, I'm gonna up the rating for this chapter but please tell me if it should go higher.

We walked quickly up the streets. Lydia seemed to be a person who thought being late should be punishable by law. Apparently the Boss didn't approve of lateness no matter what the circumstances.

'...He just doesn't like to be kept waiting – it's not good for his wellbeing he says,' Lydia explained.

'I could understand,' I said with thought. After all, Grandfather had the same habit of punishing those who kept _him_ waiting. Though, it had been years since I was one of those people – it was generally new kids who suffered. He thought it was best to scare them when they arrived, so they'd know what was expected of them in future. Unfortunately, even blood relatives were no exception.

'So, Kai ...' Lydia trailed off.

'Hm?' I said to let her know that she could ask. Though, it would have been simpler if she'd just ask quickly. Like my Grandfather, I didn't like people wasting my time.

'How old are you?' She asked. My eyes widened a little. Was that what she wanted to ask? No one normally asked me that out of interest. It was surprising and definitely caught me off guard. Without knowing what to say I just answered.

'Seventeen,' I paused. 'You?' I didn't know what else to say, it was an awkward question for me to be asked by someone.

'Eighteen,' Lydia replied. She diverted her gaze from me onto the star scattered sky. 'I thought you were older,' she stated. 'You look it.' Her eyes were fixed onto the sky, scanning the heavens. Mine were fixed straight ahead of us, where the first bar just came into view.

I didn't reply this time. I didn't know what Lydia was getting at. No one tried to make conversation with me at all, they had common sense. Maybe she'd hit her head during her many falls the previous night.

We were level with the many bars now. Multicoloured glows of artificial light mixed on the cracked path we were walking along. There was different music echoing from every bar – some club, pop, soul, rock, goth, punk ... the list was endless.

Every now and then people would stumble out of one of the bars and be sick so we had to be careful to step over or around that. Others would just jump in front of us and try and sell us drugs from cannabis to heroin. Some, on the other hand, would just fall out, sprawled on the ground, passed out. Now and again, we came across some people who did all three.

I glanced over at Lydia. She just watched some of this with amusement, a twinkle in her sapphire eyes. It seemed that she saw this every night and was not fazed by this, even when a drunken or drugged man fell and gripped tightly to her long black coat that billowed out behind her. She just turned and looked at the man and he let go immediately. Perhaps he knew her.

'Ah, here we are,' Lydia said after a while. I looked up. The bar definitely needed construction work – it tilted slightly to the right and the roof tiles had fallen and shattered on the ground. The windows were broken and the door was hanging off its hinges.

'Come on then,' Lydia sighed. 'Let's get this over with.' We entered the bar.

The lights were covered with a thick red material casting a dim red glow around the room. There was a drinks bar at the front and a few people sat there drinking one shot after another. The rest of the crowd were sitting in small groups at round tables which covered the remainder of the room. Their heads were brought together to assure no one could hear what they were talking about. There was only smoke in the atmosphere of the bar, and the overall feel of the bar was suffocating.

I coughed.

'Don't worry Kai; this is only the front of the bar. We won't be meeting the Boss here,' Lydia said thickly. She put her hand on my shoulder and steered me around the tables and the bar. She showed me to the back of the room and stopped in front of a furnished wooden door. There was a small window in the door to see into the next room but it was painted blood red so it was impossible to see into it.

'You need permission to get into here,' Lydia explained. 'If the Boss let's you enter he gives you a key.' She pulled out a silver key matching the silver of the lock below the window. Lydia placed the key in the lock and turned slowly.

The door unlocked with a click and Lydia pulled they key from the lock and placed it into her coat pocket once again. She pulled the silver handle down and pushed the door open.

'We won't be meeting in here either. The office is on the other side of the room. This room is called the Black Room for some reason. The Boss named it.' Lydia glanced around the room. I followed her gaze.

I could see why 'The Boss' named this room the Black Room. The lights were covered with a thick material – this time black, so there was little light. The room was filled with black furniture and small tables which were glossed black.

There were people slumped on the chairs and couches. Some were passed out, some were laughing quietly. Some people were even piled together. In the shadows I could just see a couple making out – there was a young teenaged boy crying softly in a corner and other couple by the door – this time they were both male. Feeling uncomfortable I let my gaze leave the people and onto the tables. There were many discarded syringes, many bottles of different pills and packets of white powder. There was also white powder scattered on the floor.

There was a teenaged girl, couldn't have been more than sixteen attempting to gather the powder from the floor. On the couch above her, a man had taken out a razor blade and dragged it along a woman's arm. She moaned quietly as he started to lick the blood from the wound.

Lydia took hold of my arm. I tore my eyes away from the grotesque scene and allowed myself to be lead away across the Black Room – over the drugs and the messed up people towards the door on the other side of the room.

Lydia, not letting go of my arm, knocked three times on the door – no answer.

'Sometimes the Boss doesn't answer for a while,' she said. 'We'll have to wait ...' She stopped.

'Stephan! Get up from there!' She exclaimed, half annoyance, half amusement. She bent down and grabbed a man by his hair and hauled him to his feet. I recognised him and one of the men who were making out by the door.

'Hey, don't spoil my fun Lyd,' he said through glazed eyes. He was a young man in his early twenties from what I could tell. He had shoulder length black hair and pale skin. His eyes were a deep amethyst that any woman would get lost in from one glance.

'Hm,' Lydia said in mock anger. 'Honestly Stephan you'd think you were a customer by the way you act.' She laughed.

'Just coz I work here doesn't mean I can't have fun,' argued Stephan. 'Anyway, I caught you with that Boris dude the other night didn't I? You're not one to talk.' Stephan smirked.

Lydia just smiled. 'Hey, he paid me good money, he did. I bought myself a nice new coat with that and with plenty more to spare. I don't see your little lover handing you a nice healthy load of cash.'

'Well, he might have done we just never got round to it thanks to you.'

'He wouldn't have,' Lydia began. 'He was too young and pretty – if you want money you've got to go for the older ones. They're more desperate.' Lydia smiled.

'They're not all desperate,' Stephan argued. 'Only the ones who spent their youths drinking and wasting their money on quality drugs.'

'Not the Boss though,' Lydia stated.

'Yeah, but he's a fundamentalist isn't he? He's too uptight with Religion and stuff,' said Stephan.

'I guess,' said Lydia, admitting defeat. Stephan grinned triumphantly.

It was a while before anyone spoke. Lydia eventually broke the silence.

'Kai, this is Stephan by the way.' I let my gaze fall on Stephan. He returned my gaze with some interest.

'So this is Kai,' he said to himself quietly. 'Nice to meet you,' he held out his hand. I didn't take it.

'Good to see that in you mate,' he said smiling broadly. 'You can't be too careful around here. Strange people.' His smile faded slowly and he proceeded to look around the Black Room.

There was an awkward silence after Stephan's comment. We remained silent for a few minutes before a deadly, hissing voice called out from behind the wooden framed door.

'Enter.'


	4. Jabez

Stephan jumped. Lydia let out a breath she had subconsciously kept in. I just stared at the door, wondering what kind of person was inside it.

'Well, I guess you two had better get going then,' said Stephan with a hint of nervousness. He gave a small laugh and made his way across the Black Room toward the bar. I looked back up at Lydia. She gave me a small smile.

'Come on then,' she said no more confident that Stephan had sounded. She turned the handle slowly as though she thought the anticipation was what had made the mission worthwhile.

The door opened at her lightest touch. Lydia took one last glance at me and went into the room. I followed closely.

The office was just as dark as the Black Room was. There was no lighting apart from a black candelabrum that stood tall on a desk which was, unwisely, draped with a black satin material. The floor, I noticed was constructed of cold stone and the peeling black wallpaper revealed that the walls were also a grey stone. The walls, themselves, were lined with broken mirrors and, here and there, a large crucifix was hung.

Sitting at the desk in a large wooden chair sat a middle aged man. His face that showed once good looks was lined heavily. His eyes were grey and tired. His hair, like his eyes, was also grey. However it still had flecks of mousey brown, not unlike Lydia's. He was wearing a long black robe, trimmed with silver, with a long sliver scarf and a broach with a design I could not see from this distance. In his right hand he held a magnificent staff, decorated with crucifixes and, if I was not mistaken, quotations from the Bible. His left hand was heavily scarred and was resting upon a black, leather bound Bible, his middle finger acting as a bookmark.

He motioned for both me and Lydia to sit.

We sat on hard, unbalanced stools in front of the desk. Lydia let her gaze fall upon the Bible under the scarred hand. The man, whom I assumed was 'The Boss', kept his eyes fixed into mine. I stared back, feeling it would show weakness if I were to not look at him. Our eyes were locked for many minutes, and I knew Lydia noticed this but she never diverted her gaze from the Bible in front of her. My eyes were aching and I hoped the staring match would end soon. However, it was not long before the familiar hissing voice spoke again.

'Have you been saying your prayers lately, Kai Hiwatari?' His eyes did not move but he had blinked. I did the same. I was also very confused by what he asked me. What was this about?

'Not as of late,' I said confidently. His expression softened a little but his eyes remained as cold and tired as they were when we entered.

'But then how will you achieve what you want? Those who have a strong relationship with God lead strong lives.' He spoke in no more than a whisper but with all the wisdom of an ancient man who had lived a more than a thousand lifetimes. I was intrigued by the way his words formed but also filled with curiosity. Religion played no part in my life. I was advised to pray once by a carer in the Abbey, but she had left, I did not know why. I had felt awkward praying, and I knew it was not for me. However, it was best if I said something. No matter what it would be.

'I thought that it was wrong to ask something from God,' I said coldly. Yes, that was suitable, but I was slightly afraid that it would anger him. However, he smiled ever so slightly and opened his Bible where his finger kept the page. He opened his mouth to speak.

'_And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted what he requested._

_The Prayer of Jabez - Chronicles, Chapter 1, 4:10' _

He spoke this in a slow calm and mighty voice. His eyes now away from mine but not on the Bible, but on something behind me. He clearly knew the verse off by heart. While he was speaking I took the chance to glance at Lydia again. She was absorbed in the Bible in front of her and was mouthing the ancient words as the Boss was speaking them. I looked back at the Boss again; he was still transfixed with the object facing him. I would have turned to look but I found a little fear in the man before me so I kept my eyes on him.

After a while he tore his eyes from the object behind me and onto me once more.

'That is my name, by the way: Jabez.' He looked at me then back at the Bible under his left hand.

'Do you know what message this passage is trying to bring Kai Hiwatari?' Jabez asked. I shook my head, my eyes not leaving his face. He looked back at me.

'The message that this passage is trying to bring is that you can ask of God anything, more or less under the condition that you ask of Him to be with you, to not cause pain. That is what He wants to see in His children, He wants to see them ask to not cause pain. He will help you Kai Hiwatari.' He paused for a second. I noted that his eyes moved swiftly from my face, to a draw in his desk to his staff and finally to Lydia.

'Lydia, child, may you please take hold of my staff while I retrieve a gift for young Kai?' My gaze darted to Lydia. She nodded immediately. She then stood and moved to where his right hand lay upon his staff and removed it from his grip. She stood like a statue beside him holding his staff carefully as though she felt she was holding a relic.

Jabez carefully opened the draw and pulled a small box, wrapped in a purple velvet material. He looked at it for a second then placed it on the table between us, then his attention turned back to me.

'I refuse to let my left hand leave my Bible,' he said gesturing to his scarred hand. 'A habit of mine since I was your age.' He smiled, straining the lines on his face. He then lifted the small box and held it out to me. 'Take it,' he said gently.

I took it. Then before I decided to unwrap it glanced back up at him. He nodded gesturing for me to go on. I carefully unwrapped the purple material as though it were something sacred. The box, itself was black, and elegantly decorated with sliver markings which I thought could have been Hebrew. It had a beautifully crafted silver latch at the bottom right-hand corner. I unhooked it and the box fell open.

In it lay a beautiful silver crucifix, with the image of Jesus placed upon it. Around the edge it had shining sapphires that glittered by the candle light, and on the crucifix itself, an elegant scripture, similar to that of the box.

In awe of its beauty I gently pried it from the box. It was light and was about the length of my middle finger. Attached was a heavy chain that would easily fit over my head. I put it on. It felt so perfect.

I opened my mouth to say thank you to the great man who sat before me but he raised a finger to his lips.

'Turn it over,' he whispered.

Placing the crucifix in my shaking hand, I slowly turned it over. Engraved into the sterling silver was, without a doubt, the Prayer of Jabez. It also stated its chapter and verse numbers, and underneath that ...

_Kai Hiwatari. _


	5. John

A/N: Yay! More reviews! Hugs for all!!!

Ok, this chapter is gonna be a little boring. It will get interesting after this though!

'He's your father?' I questioned quietly as though it were a statement more than a question.

Lydia had offered to escort me back to the dojo, claiming it was not safe at night and she also, wanted fresh air which was not a privilege if you stayed at the bar for too long. I had accepted, however, reluctantly.

My thoughts were still with the office and the cold, grey eyes of Jabez. Every now and then the rising sun would reflect on the crucifix for me to admire it further. Immediately after Jabez had taken his staff back from Lydia, he announced that he had completed his 'mission' and stated that it was time to leave. So I had, Lydia along with me.

Lydia nodded slowly. My thoughts were near enough empty before now – shock with the meeting and the beauty of the sterling silver crucifix around my neck numbed my thoughts like ice. However, now it was a desire to ask many questions – never before had my curiosity been so great.

I wanted to ask her, if her father was such a righteous man, why he would allow such obscene acts occur in his bar and the Black Room? Though, I thought that to be rude and in the back of my mind I knew it would be better if I didn't know. I remained silent.

However, again Lydia appeared to know in which field my train of though lay. That or she was desperate to tell someone what's been happening in her family for, what could be, generations.

'That bar has been in the family for ages,' she explained. 'My father owns it now, his father before him; his father before _him _and my brother John is to be next.' She paused. 'My father is a fundamentalist Christian and does believe women to be important, but he does regard them as the weaker sex. Anyway my Grandfather Takeo was into all that stuff the fools were into in the Black Room. But there was no Black Room in them days. Anything to do with drugs or alcohol would be done anywhere. The bar, the room that is now the Black Room, the office - even the streets outside.'

We stopped for a moment. I looked behind me. We were outside the dojo and everything was still. The sun was rising, casting a line of fire on the horizon. It seemed to me that Lydia was taking the scene in and had completely abandoned the story altogether.

After a short while, she gathered her senses and shook her head.

'Sorry,' she mumbled. 'Got a bit caught up there.' She smiled. 'Anyway, after Takeo had owned the bar for about four or three years he met my Grandmother. She was a missionary of some sort from a rough area in New York. Like Takeo, she had a bad background. Her parents were alcohol abusers and died young. Well, after they met they married and she vowed to help him overcome his addiction. He did very well too – but he died one night at the bar – overdose or something like that. My father and one of his brothers were with him at the time, father must have been about twelve. I don't think he's ever gotten over it.'

Lydia coughed. There was a slight chill in the air around us.

'Damn cold,' she muttered. 'Well, after that my Grandmother just tried to do her best with the customers at the bar and help run it with her brother-in-law, while my father was still a child.' She continued. 'She just imposed her religious beliefs upon my father and his two brothers. Only my father took it seriously though. One brother worked in tourism and married twice, I think. He died in some accident. The other worked in Beyblading. I don't know what happened to him though.'

Lydia sighed. 'Mind you my father wasn't perfect either. He fell slave to those drugs at the bar, when it came into his possession. It took him the best part of two years to get out of it. That was how I was born though.' She glanced at me. Seemingly longing for my reaction. 'Whoever gave birth to me handed me back over to my father. I don't know who she was. I might have met her at the bar for all I know.'

Lydia stopped. She looked deep into my eyes – probably hoping to see what I thought. I noticed, there was something in her sapphire eyes that tried to tell me something. I was disappointed in her a little. Did she expect sympathy? Did she want pity? Or someone to hold her while she cried? If that was what she wanted I couldn't give it to her – but I was sure there was someone who could. It was just not me.

I hoped this would end soon. I may not have been able to offer her pity but I didn't want to hurt her, and as uncomfortable as this was, it did seem rather flattering that she wanted to tell me whatever the troubles were in her life. I just wished she knew that I wasn't good with that type of thing.

Thankfully, Lydia continued.

'Father eventually married himself. I was six.' A small smile appeared on her face. 'She left though, after John was born. It wasn't unexpected; she didn't like his attitude towards women. She was a bit of a feminist – their relationship was doomed to begin with.

'I guess what was the last straw for her was the amount of effort he put into naming John. For me, he just picked any old name from his Bible, but for John it was different. He was a son, you see.' She stopped, allowing me time to think.

I certainly did see. It was obvious where it was heading - people with a narrow mind are generally predictable. However, I didn't want to stand there looking like a half-wit so I asked any question that would get her talking again.

'So, why did he call him John then,' I asked dully. I knew Lydia knew I wasn't interested but she obviously didn't care. Maybe she was one of those annoying people who loved the sound of their own voice and it annoys you to no end. Eventually you end up axe-murdering them just to shut them up. Anyway, it was a good reason to remain outside for a little while. It was good enough for me, I thought.

Smiling a little, she continued with her never-ending story:

'Father devoted his life entirely to help people from their addiction,' she began. 'He issued the bar with new, but strict, rules. Made the old pool room into the Black Room. Eventually, citizens without drug problems could enter. For anyone it would look like a normal bar with the addicts in the Black Room.' She paused for a moment.

'It may not seem it,' she said. 'But those people in the Black Room are trying to get better. It took my father over a month to find the right passage...' Lydia stopped and gazed longingly into the deep blue sky.

'_Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. _

_So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." _

_John, Chapter eight, 34:36.' _

Lydia finished reciting and looked at me again, her eyes slightly glazed. I was deep in thought.

'Get it?' She said her voice quiet and distant.

'I think so,' I replied unsurely.

'John is eleven years old,' she sighed. 'He is, like most children, obsessed with Beyblading. He doesn't care much about anyone but his friends and family. But what else would you expect of an eleven year old? Though he does care enough to say a prayer at night.'

After a brief pause she continued. 'John is a son of a broken marriage. One that God clearly wanted to happen, but not to last. It was a lesson for my father and I was the only one to learn it. Is it clearer now?' Lydia questioned, smirking slightly, her eyebrows raised.

'Correct passage but the 'son' part taken a bit too seriously?' I replied dully, looking into the distance.

Lydia smiled broadly, her eyes lit. 'You're very clever Kai.' She laughed softly.

'It was obvious,' I said coldly. My eyes diverted from the distant sky to the dojo which was glowing with sunlight, as though it called to me. I took a mental picture of the scene so I could remember the beauty of the dawn.

'All right then,' Lydia said as coldly as I had. 'Go in. I'll see you around.' She turned her head toward the direction she would be leaving.

'I hope,' she added. She then turned on her heel and left quickly.

'Whatever,' I mumbled under my breath and I ventured toward the glowing building where my team were beginning to wake.


	6. Boris

A/N: Sorry it took a little longer, had to think of the plot a little! Anywho I had to up the rating a little more and I think it's appropriate! YAY! Hugs for past and present reviewers.

I didn't get any chance of sleep when I entered the dojo. Everyone was awake – their eyes bright and full of energy from a good night's sleep. This bore a striking, yet very noticeable contrast to how I looked at that time. That was not to say I felt it for that matter.

For the first time for what seemed an eternity of lifetimes I longed for the warmth and comfort of my bed. Not because I was tired at that time, no – at that moment my mind was full to its greatest capacity, and needed a brief shutdown. A few hours sleep would be very satisfactory. However, the team had other plans.

'We're having a whole team training session,' explained Hillary, her voice bright and cheerful. 'We haven't had one in ages and I think it's best if the whole team could keep up with each other. Otherwise, we wouldn't be a very good team would we?' Hillary spoke faster than usual and I was thankful for her brief pause. My mind felt slow at that moment and if she had carried on in her fast fashion I wouldn't have registered one syllable of what she said.

As it sank in, a small feeling of dread travelled through me. How was I ment to concentrate during training when I could feel that my mind would shut down on me at any given second? However, Hillary made it very clear I was expected to attend.

'So,' she continued in her energetic tone. 'We'll finish breakfast and then we'll ...' She stopped. All thoughts seemed to drain from her mind as her undivided attention was fixated on something resting on my chest. Her eyes darted from where her eyes lay to my neck and back again. I followed her gaze – my crucifix was in a clear view.

Hillary's breath caught in her throat. Like me she was completely mesmerised by its beauty. There was a distant longing in her eyes that I knew only too well. She made a small movement with her hand as though to reach out to it.

After a second or two she seemed to find her voice again.

'Where did you get it?' She asked in no more than a whisper. I didn't answer. Now, I was attempting to create an excuse to escape without her attracting the attention of the whole team.

If I were to tell them, that would mean I would have to admit entering the bar and the whole area had a filthy reputation to accompany them. The worst belonging to the bar of Jabez.

Sadly, Tyson had noticed Hillary seemed to be staring idly at me for too long. He headed over to investigate, closely followed by Max.

'Hey, what's going ..' He had caught sight of the crucifix himself. For once, he seemed at a loss for words. Max just stared at it as though it were a bag of sugar.

_I could use some of that right now _I found myself thinking. After a second, though it seemed an eternity, Rei and Kenny decided to venture over to where we stood as a small group. However, before they could catch a glimpse of the crucifix hanging around my neck, I turned and walked away from the team, out the door and away from the dojo which remained to glow like gold.

The team proceeded to throw questions at my retreating back until I rounded a corner and out of sight.

........

Dranzer was already spinning rapidly and with great power when the others arrived. They edged towards me slowly, curiosity taking over their expressions and clouding their eyes.

They stopped at a reasonable distance from myself and made no move to retrieve their Beyblades.

'Where were you? Did you get that ...'

'Are we here to train or what?' I said fiercely cutting them off. If they were just going to spend the entire training session throwing fruitless questions at me then I would simply head back up to the dojo, get some well deserved sleep and train later in the evening.

However, they decided to keep quiet throughout the remainder of the training session.

I won the first and second match, naturally, however, the third, fourth and fifth were all lost. I could feel disappointment and frustration build up in me. I could also feel the sleepless nights catching up with me at a fast rate. Drowsiness was slowly running through every inch of me and I could not escape.

I fought Max for the sixth match. He had improved a great deal but that didn't help me at all. I felt very tired by that point. I felt somewhat light headed and my vision was blurred through my tiredness as I tried to keep my heavy eyes open.

I knew this was ridiculous so the first chance I got I threw the battle. I would make up for it later, I vowed.

As I stalked back up to the dojo I would have dwelled on what I would say to the team when I regained my senses. However, all I could think of at that moment was a long awaited sleep.

........

I was sitting at the bar. Like the last visit, the smoke filled every inch of the room, which was empty apart from myself and two people sitting at the table beside me. A young man with brown hair and grey eyes, highlighted blue, was sitting with a bottle of beer gripped in his hand.

Opposite him sat a hooded man. The lighting was so dim I could not see his face; however, he had thin, white hands and a stray lock of purple hair that had fallen from the safety of his hood.

I strained my ears to hear their whispered conversation.

'Kai?' The hooded figure mused.

'Yes,' the other said excitedly. 'I saw him the other night in this area. Couldn't think of what he was doing but I saw Kai Hiwatari all right!' He took a swig of his beer, accidentally spilling some down his white shirt.

'Where exactly did you see him?' the dark man asked with interest.

'In that alley near the tattoo place,' the brow haired man muttered. 'He was there the night before and the one before that,' he added hurriedly.

There was a small silence. The hooded man was clearly deep in thought, his left hand rummaged through his pockets to find something. The other was clearly too busy getting drunk to notice his companions actions.

After a while a deep voice, once again, emerged from beneath the hood.

'May I see that niece of yours?' He spoke icily. 'Lydia, I think it is?'

'Oh ... s...sure,' the brown haired man stuttered. He rose, clumsily from his chair and weaved less than gracefully between the wooden tables, coughing now and again from the thick blanket of smoke. He reached the door to the Black Room and rummaged in his pocket and eventually pulled out a silver key. He unlocked the door and entered.

I could feel the hooded stranger smile beneath his hood.

After a while he emerged with a very pretty woman I recognised as Lydia. The brown haired man pointed in the direction of his companion. Lydia glanced at him with a small frown.

As soon as the dark, hooded man received the frown his hands moved up and gripped the fabric of is hood. He let it slide down, letting Lydia see his face.

Somehow, I wasn't surprised to find that it was Boris. He sent Lydia a small smile and her expression softened. He rose with an elegance her uncle never had and almost glided towards them.

At that moment my situation changed with a small lurch. I was now sitting in a more isolated part of the bar, one that was nearest to them.

'Thank you James,' Boris spoke icily, not taking his eyes from Lydia's porcelain face. 'You may leave us.' The brown haired man, now known as James, looked as though he were about to protest. However, the next moment a tall woman entered the bar and he didn't hesitate to join her.

Lydia sent a small, but flirtatious smile to Boris. 'So, what is it that you want,' she questioned, her voice low and flowing.

Boris smirked.

'I think you know,' he whispered. His hand emerged from his cloak pocket with a fair amount of money and placed it into Lydia's jacket.

This time it was Lydia's turn to smirk and she took his hand and led him into the Black Room, closing the door behind them.

Almost as suddenly as the time before, my situation changed. I found myself sitting in the only vacant chair in the Black Room. There were a little more people than my last visit and twice the amount of drugs which were littered in every inch of available space.

I did not recognise most of the people; however, to my right I could see the same man who had cut the woman with the same teenaged girl who scurried along the floor to collect the powder. They were both completely naked. The man was kneeling facing the black-painted wall. Supported against the wall was the girl, she had her legs locked around his waist, her arms around his neck. She threw her head back and groaned loudly, her eyes clouded in ecstasy as he carved a deep cut across her breast and kissed it deeply.

To my left I could see the teenaged boy, who had cried pitifully in the shadows of the Black Room. He inhaled a substance deeply. Breathing heavily he fell back against the couch feeling the great effects of the white gold, his eyes glazed with a small smile gracing his pale face.

My attention turned to Lydia and Boris. Lydia's back was against the wall, her eyes were closed and her arms were locked tightly around Boris' neck. Boris was kissing her neck softly.

'Let me see your father,' he mumbled in between two, well placed kisses that would make Lydia moan quietly.

'What for?' She said, her voice pleading for more and showed no interest for conversation.

'To speak to him ... about someone,' he breathed, his hand sliding slowly beneath her black skirt.

Her eyes widened and she made no attempt to answer through her heavy breathing.

'Go on,' Boris smiled. 'You see I can be very persuasive.' And with a force of strength Boris lifted Lydia and gently pushed her against the wall to support her. He smirked into a kiss placed on her collar bone as she wrapped her legs tightly around him.

'All right, all right,' she moaned.

'Good,' Boris mumbled before sliding her skirt further to meet her slim waist.

........

I woke, breathing heavily. It took me a while to realise I was just dreaming and still in the dojo. I stood quietly and went to get a glass of water to soothe my dry throat.

As I glanced a clock I could see it was eleven thirty in the evening and I could tell the team were in bed from the even breathing, and in Tyson's case, snoring.

Knowing I would not sleep again, I left the dojo silently and continued to dwell on my dream as I wandered the moonlit streets through another sleepless night.


End file.
